I have been in correspondence with Dr. Schneider for 9+ months after I requested compensation in the amount equivalent to the cost of getting a new crown, after what I believe was poor/improper placement of a crown.
I believe her ongoing oversight of the issue at hand (my pain, sensitivity, and inability to chew on the right side of my mouth due to discomfort on that tooth) constituted negligence and her ongoing refusal to issue me any sort of compensation is simply harsh.
I began to have pain and sensitivity on this tooth immediately following the crown, when I had zero pain/sensitivity there prior. I returned many times in the months following the crown placement, with what seemed to me little effort to resolve the problem.
During the course of our correspondence, Dr. Schneider has repeatedly asked to see me in her office. The problem, however, is that I already spent a fair amount of time in her office for this issue in the months following crown placement and it was not resolved. Why would I return now? Further, I certainly do not trust her to do any additional dental work on me.
In her penultimate piece of correspondence to me, Dr. Schneider said she would consider discussing compensation if I presented her with an x-ray and letters from 3 additional dentists stating that the crown was incorrectly placed. I do not have the time or money to find and pay 3 additional dentists for this request. So, I sent her what I had: a letter from one dentist and an x-ray as well as a statement from my childhood dentist (in another state):
Dentist 1: When I stated that I had pain and sensitivity on the tooth with the crown, the first (local) dentist was able to immediately identify the problem but was concerned that replacing the crown could result in my needing a root canal so recommended I wait until the pain/sensitivity is no longer tolerable. (Not ideal, and I was dismayed to hear that a root canal is now a likely possibility if I want to fix the pain/sensitivity part.)
Dentist 2: The other (out of state) dentist said that the crown is "probably clinically acceptable" but was dismayed to hear that Dr. Schneider would only consider compensation after seeing letters from 3 other dentists confirming that the crown needed to be replaced rather than just listening to the patient and redoing the crown when she says "Please help me. I have pain and sensitivity and I no longer can chew on the right side of my mouth."
She disagreed that what I sent her was sufficient to discuss compensation.
I am an ethically-minded person and I highly value integrity. I tried my very best to professionally address this concern with Dr. Schneider. I would not be writing this review if she had taken my complaints of pain/sensitivity seriously and sought to remedy the problem right away, after the crown was placed.
Sadly, I am inclined to agree with the other reviewers here who have questioned Dr. Schneider's ethics. Honestly, I believe that I should not have had this crown to begin with -- the same tooth had been filled by another dentist only months before. (Obviously this is purely a gut feeling and cannot be proven.)
At present, I continue to have sensitivity and pain on this tooth and I am unable to chew on the right side of my mouth. I spent several hundred dollars out of pocket for a crown that has ended up causing me a lot of angst and pain. Further, it is likely that I will need a new crown soon, or, potentially a root canal, as a result. read more